These stories cover responses in Africa to social problems delivered primarily through the use of technology.
Collections are versatile, powerful and simple to create. From a customized course reader to an action-guide for an upcoming service-learning trip, collections illuminate themes, guide inquiry, and provide context for how people around the worls are responding to social challenges.
Communities in Nigeria have been using WhatsApp to manage isolation and help provide support to their fellow residents during the coronavirus pandemic. In many instances organizations and individuals are helping to raise and provide funds to those who are experiencing financial hardship.
Read MorePregnant women in Nigeria are turning to virtual support groups to help manage anxiety and fear they feel about delivering a baby during the coronavirus pandemic. Although the telehealth transition for doctor visits has provided more limitations than success, the use of WhatsApp and Telegram for support groups has been received well as a means of creating connections.
Read MoreIn Sub-Saharan Africa, “almost half of schoolchildren, or a total of 121 million pupils, are unable to access remote learning,” according to a 2020 UNICEF report, an even bigger problem during a pandemic when students can’t access virtual classes. Eneza Education is using texts messages to deliver classes. Their bite-size lessons delivered via text and “Ask a Teacher” feature are providing education to millions of subscribers.
Read MoreIn Nigeria, nonprofit organizations are helping to organize and deliver virtual journalism-related training to university students who can't attend classes as normal due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although some students have said that the organizations aren't always transparent about the price of the webinars, many have reported that their writing has improved and they have made connections with others.
Read MoreSince 2015, telemedicine has been helping connect doctors with people in rural parts of Kenya, which has proven to be crucial during the coronavirus pandemic. Although not all insurance companies have made the process easy and some residents don't trust the use of technology to keep their data safe, the practice has seen a significant increase in people with chronic diseases utilizing the system as a means of limiting their exposure to situations where they could be exposed to the virus.
Read MoreA platform that allows students to receive lessons via text message is being used to complement education efforts in Uganda. In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, one such texting platform has partnered with nonprofits to offer a free WhatsApp course "that covers coronavirus facts and health information."
Read MoreA Nigerian charity home for more than 50 homeless and abandoned children is practicing strict hygienic standards in order to keep their residents safe and healthy during COVID-19. The Daughters of Divine Love is run by nuns, and they all try to educate the children about the coronavirus in a way they can understand. The sisters keep track of the latest news in a WhatsApp forum in order to know what to share with the children, and they keep the children clean with regular handwashing, home disinfection, and clothes washing. They have also stopped accepting victims of trafficking into the shelter.
Read MoreAs a way to combat unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent further deforestation in Kenya, local rangers are using smartphones, satellite feeds, and global mapping to monitor their forests. The project employs more than 250 people and allows them to target vulnerable areas more effectively. Because of their efforts, there have been lower incidences of illegal logging and forest fires from poachers.
Read MoreTo quickly distribute money to poverty-stricken areas in Togo during the coronavirus pandemic, the country's government turned to mobile cash payments. Working with a nonprofit and UC Berkeley’s Center for Effective Global Action, Togo established a system of mobile payments to reach 30,000 of Togo’s poorest people who were identified via satellite imagery and image analysis algorithms.
Read MoreWomen in GIS Kenya created a digital tool that helps the government track the number of Covid-19 cases, recoveries, and confirmed deaths, as well as the number of tests administered. The online database combines a survey that assesses a person's symptoms with cellphone GPS data to create a map of current hot spots and recommend treatment locations. The government credits the tool, which can also predict high-risk areas vulnerable to future outbreaks, with helping to keep Kenya's COVID-19-related deaths relatively low compared to other countries. The tool is popular among younger, tech-savvy populations.
Read MoreIn parts of Kenya, engineers are using 3D printing to produce medical equipment to help hospitals that are facing a shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the cost of the material used in the designs is high, the products are customizable and can be produced at a high rate of speed.
Read MoreKidsThatCode offers weekend programs and summer boot camps to teach Nigerian children coding and programming languages. More than 2,000 students have participated since 2017.
Read MoreHaima Health helps fill in a huge void in Nigeria’s healthcare system by providing a large blood donor database across 14 states in the country that links donors to patients in need. Since launching, Haima Health has established the largest database in the country with over 2,000 registered voluntary blood donors.
Read MoreThe Sickle Cell Aid Foundation teaches tech skills to those with sickle cell anemia to increase their employability and spearhead an inclusive tech industry. Since launching, the organization has trained and graduated 20 individuals with coding skills.
Read MoreShe Writes Woman, provides safe spaces for those in need to receive mental healthcare services. As of this year, She Writes Woman receives about 200 calls on its toll-free helpline each day, serving a community of about 45,000 people.
Read MoreA pilot program is using drones to spray anti-Malaria pesticides in high-incidence regions. The spraying drones have a 10-liter on-board tank that holds a biological insecticide, which uses bacteria that impacts larval stages of certain insects, including mosquitoes. The operator flown drone has a battery powered spray pump that releases the spray and the downward thrust of the propellers pushes it to the ground. The fixed-wing drone takes off vertically and flies horizontally for 50 minutes and 80 miles. Estimates show a drastic decline of malaria cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the sprayed areas.
Read MoreThese stories cover responses in Africa to social problems delivered primarily through the use of technology.